Sunday, May 9, 2010

Writing is Hard

Most of us would agree that writing is not easy. Someone was recently talking about the "struggle" of writing. I often use the word "agony." You have to find the best words to say what you mean; you have to make it interesting; you have to keep it organized; it has to make sense; you have to figure out how to transition to the next paragraph; you have to worry about whether your readers will get it; and so on...

Take this as a good sign.
One definition of a professional writer (a definition which much of their own testimony implies) might be this: one who finds ways to write in spite of, not without, the discomfort of writing.
- James Seitz
Experts on writing say over and over that a sure sign of an immature writer is one to whom writing comes easily. Immature writers write what comes to mind, assume that it's the best they can do, and are satisfied. Mature writers know that writing is hard, that they must struggle through it, even agonize over it, and that they may still never be fully happy with a final product.

Of course, this struggle is part of what makes great writing so great, and it is part of what does make writing so satisfying. To have worked through it, to have come up with something that you feel is worth something, or to have discovered something that you didn't know you had to say makes it all worth it.

2 comments:

  1. The most difficult part of writing is to accept that you have to do it and it won't be perfect. Sometimes, you seize a moment or just accept that to do it you pretty much have to lock yourself in a room with no distractions.

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  2. The other night at his reading David Sedaris talked about how he hates to read his old work because he is never satisfied with it. He's happy with it when he submits it but when he looks at it months later he realizes how much more he could have done. If he can't be satisfied, who can?

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